Cell phones are officially banned in prison. But everyone knows that this restriction is a big joke. In detention centers and in power stations, telephones are everywhere. Inmates obtain them in the visiting room, have them thrown over the walls or even delivered by drone. Thanks to this “little extra”, they communicate with the outside world, continue to direct their traffic remotely and occasionally shoot short videos which create a buzz, such as this one which proudly shows the inflatable swimming pool installed in their cell. Images which, until then, were generally addressed to their loved ones and then “inadvertently” leaked onto the Web. But there is something new! It is now clear that, in defiance of all regulations, some prisoners are setting out to conquer social networks, with the hope of attracting the largest possible audience (and the income that goes with it).
A prisoner found the right vein to make his honey
So, months ago, a prisoner found the right source to make his money: he interviews his incarcerated friends on TikTok, without any filter, even if it means letting them say anything and everything. Guaranteed success! In the series, we have already seen a so-called “son of Fourniret” (lie) and a slew of bullshitters inflating their records to play tough… But in this spring of 2024, he is a very small inmate of Asian origin, 1 .53 meters under the gauge, which once again captures the videographer’s attention. Yves Chanal, 43, attracted 1.32 million Internet users with his previous video. An insane score! Too happy with this result, the tiktoker asks him to go back, and pushes him to express himself to explode the view counters:
— You’re the best, Yves, strength to you! he gets excited behind the lens. You’re the best ! Know one thing, it’s that we won’t forget that you were a nice little guy!
Opposite, hairless head and rounded cheekbones on a large zipped sweater, the person concerned would almost turn pink. It must be said that with his scrawny physique and his shy demeanor, Yves Chanal actually seems harmless. But to qualify him as a “nice little guy”…
No friends, no job and no compass
December 31, 2014, New Year’s Eve. While throughout France, people celebrate the New Year with their loved ones, in Épinal, in the Vosges, Yves Chanal is alone. Like always. The only son of Laotian parents who returned home, the 33-year-old has no friends, no job and even less of a compass. His only hobbies are online gaming and porn. No real alternative: severely depressed and self-conscious about her small size, Chanal cannot cope with girls. He had to break the bank four months earlier to finally lose his virginity! A late revelation. Upset, he then returned to see the prostitute four times, until he made a big declaration to her and offered her a life together. She refused. But this New Year’s Eve, with his tickets neatly folded in his pocket, the “little guy” wants to try his luck again. He has a new address!
The story is short. Too short
It is just midnight when Chanal arrives at 21, rue François-Blaudez, a small cream-colored building in downtown Epinal. With his heart pounding, he goes up to third and strikes. The panel moves aside. Wow! He discovers the girl in loose pajamas and black underwear. To tell the truth, at 45 years old, Telma Da Silva Messia, a Brazilian naturalized Portuguese, is no longer first-hand. But she maintains herself to support her four children. Chanal enters and drops him 150 euros to treat himself to an hour of delights. But as we understand it, the story is cut short. Too short.
After only ten minutes, carried away by his enthusiasm, the “little man” has already finished his business. It’s too bad. Disappointed with himself, he demands compensation for the “unused” time. But nothing at all. The girl believes that she has fulfilled her mission. Maybe she even laughed in his face… Error. Because this is where Yves Chanal, overwhelmed by frustration, sees red. Blood red. He takes his knife out of his pocket. And jumps at his throat…
We imagine the horror of his last moments
The rotting body of Telma Da Silva Messia was found ten days later in the same apartment, pierced 53 times, with her jugular cut. We imagine with fear the horror of his last moments…
Tried in 2017 before the Epinal assizes, Chanal admits the facts. In his defense, he explains that he had been drinking.
— I would have been better off staying at home and watching porn! he concludes.
Indeed ! The jury, finding an attenuating circumstance in his chronic depression, sentenced him to sixteen years in prison. A verdict which should, in theory, have made him disappear from the radar at least until 2030. But that was without taking into account smartphones in prison, social networks, and… our prisoner “journalist”!
Because this February 18, 2024, who do we suddenly see returning to the light, on his channel? Yves Chanal, ten years older, but just as quirky as back then.
— Hi, my name is Yves, and I was sentenced to sixteen years in prison for killing a prostitute! he presents himself in front of the lens.
A surreal exchange follows, here stripped of its many “weshes”.
— Did you have any extenuating circumstances or something? the other asks him, surprised by this measured sentence.
— Well yes! Alcohol was aggravating, but I had a problem with discernment.
— Oh yeah, that’s why you did well!
Then the pseudo-journalist addresses his audience:
— You see, people, Yves is a great guy, he’s super nice. Just alcohol makes you do things. Do you regret it, Yves?
– Yeah. Afterwards we think more.
—And how much do you have left?
— I am eligible for leave and accommodation, so three years.
— In any case, Yves, I wish you the best for the future! Strength to you!
— Strength to you too!
The sequence is a hit online
Naturally, not the slightest word for the victim (does she regret, Telma Da Silva Messia, where she is?). But the sequence is a hit online. So much so that a month later, buoyed by this success, we find the two inmates for a new episode.
— Yves, there are 700,000 people who know you on TikTok! welcomes the interviewer.
– Yeah…
— Some people ask if you’re going to do it again when you get out!
— Uh…
The murderer thought for a moment. Then blurt out these improbable words:
— I don’t know what could happen if I really lose control or not… In my opinion, no, but…
A lunar admission, but perhaps sincere. Internet users love it. From then on, the episodes of the series followed one another, attracting an ever-increasing audience.
— Yves, do you really regret what you did? Because there are people on TikTok, they think you’re laughing!
Then :
— Yves, aren’t you going to lose control? Look, there, you’re with us, you’re in control, you’re calm! Just, outside, don’t drink alcohol!
— Yeah, alcohol is not good!
And it continues like this in a loop, while our tiktoker eliminates the subject until the end. A third episode is posted online. Then on May 6, a fourth.
— The real star of TikTok, she is here! boasts the interviewer by way of introduction. Yves, there are more than 1.32 million people who know you!
But this time the interviewee looks sheepish.
— I got yelled at by my parents yesterday… he admits pitifully.
— (laughs) You’re 43 and you’re getting yelled at? For what ?
— Well, it’s not very smart to make videos…
– For what ?
— Well… it’s not good… Are you filming there?
– No ! Yves, there are lots of girls, they want your number! You have become a star!
—Aren’t you filming?
— But no, don’t worry!
At some point, you have to renew yourself
A final sequence will follow (at the time of our closing), published on the networks on May 29, in which the “nice little guy” vaguely comments on the news, with the relevance that we can imagine from him. At some point, you have to renew yourself…
But how long will the prison administration tolerate this? Can we even imagine that she saw nothing? Is it decent to let a savage killer, duly convicted, spout his nonsense online, at the risk of his victim’s children falling on his face? Can we let the public applaud, and a star system of the worst emerge?
All we can hope for now, apart from the end of this charade, is that the judge of freedoms has seen the whole thing, before giving back the key to this “nice little guy”. The guy himself admits not knowing if he risks doing it again! After the following drama, the magistrate will not be able to say that he could “not doubt”…
An investigation by Nissrine Hossne.
